Coaster and method of making same



Oct. 24, 1967 J. c. WIECHERS 3,348,800

COASTER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Sept. 16, 1965 I N 1 5 N 7 ORJEROME C. W/ECHE/PS A T TOR/V5) United States Patent Ofiice 3,348,800Patented Oct. 24, 1967 3,348,800 COASTER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAMEJerome C. Wiechers, 5357 Hunt Club Road,

' Racine, Wis. 53402 Filed Sept. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 487,842 5 Claims.(Cl. 248-346.1)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A coaster having a base of an absorbentmaterial and a plurality of spaced-apart lines of a non-absorbentmaterial attached to the top surface of the base. The lines extend to aheight above the base to cause the droplets to be sucked into the base,and they are printed onto the base.

This invention relates to a coaster and a method of making same.

The subject matter of this invention is a coaster of the type used undera tumbler or other container which tends to collect condensate whichultimately drains off the tumbler and onto any support below thetumbler. It is of course common practice to place a coaster under thetumbler so that the drainage will not get onto the table top or likesupport. These heretofore known coasters are sometimes made ofwater-proof plastic, metal, and like water-proof material. They are alsosometimes made of an absorbent material made of paper stock or the likewhich sucksor blots up the drainage from the tumbler. The rigid type ofcoaster, such as that made of metal or plastic, is generally expensiveand not a disposable type and is therefore not to be preferred in therequirements of this present invention. Also, the paper or blotter typeof coaster heretofore known has been found to be ineffective in keepingthe condensate from the table top, and it has also been found that thecoaster has a tendency to adhere to the bottom of the tumbler when acertain amount of condensate is disposed between the tumbler and thecoaster. Then when one picks up the tumbler, the coaster adheres orsticks to the bottom of the tumbler, and this is contrary to the desiredfunction of the coaster to have it remain on the table top When theglass or tumbler is picked up.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a coaster and amethod of making same wherein the coaster is an improvement over thoseheretofore known in that it is more reliable and eflicientin its actionof protecting the table top and avoiding the dripping of the condensateor spillage from the tumbler onto the drinker.

Another general object of this invention is to provide a coaster andmethod of making same wherein the coaster may be readily andinexpensively provided in that for instance it can be made from a paperstock and can be run through a printing process and can be finally cutinto the individual sizes, all being performed on one large sheet sothat the coasters can be rapidly and mass produced.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a coaster andmethod of making same wherein the coaster will not adhere to the bottomof the tumbler when the tumbler is raised, and wherein the coaster iseffective in inducing the condensate to drain off the tumbler and beabsorbed bythe coaster.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a coaster andmethodof making same wherein the coaster will have a long life in that it canabsorb a considerable quantity of condensate and remain effective inkeeping the condensate from forming on the tumbler to a degree where itwill drain onto the drinker when the tumbler is raised.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading thefollowing description in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred coaster of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the coaster of FIG. 1 but showingthe tumbler in full lines whereas FIG. 1 shows the tumbler in dot-dashlines.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the corner of FIG. 2, with a with ashowing of two droplets of condensate.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1.

The coaster is shown to consist of a base 10 which is a flat sheethaving a fiat top surface 11. The base 10 is made of a blotter-type ofmaterial which readily absorbs water, and it has been found that amaterial which will absorb one cubic centimeter of water in one minuteis suitable for this coaster. This capacity for absorbing is also foundto be of a characteristic which will cause moisture to rise one inch ona strip of the base 10 when it is immersed one-eighth inch and the oneinch rise will 'be in one minute. The material having thesecharacteristics is thus a blotter-type material or a moisture absorbingmaterial, and it may be further stated that it has been found that thematerial will absorb one cc. of moisture in a continuous and rapidmanner as one watches the absorption with a naked eye.

The base 10 is thus shown to be of a sheet material of blotter stockwhich is a paper stock material. It has a water-proof sheet 12 afiixedto the lower surface of the base 10, and the sheet 12 would of courseprotect a table top or the like from receiving any moisture which issucked in or absorbed by the base 10. It will of course also be apparentthat the water-proof sheet 12 may be eliminated and the base 10 can beplaced in a water-proof tray of any suitable material so that the tabletop will not become wet.

An important feature lower right hand of the invention is the provisionof the lines 13 and 14 which are superimposed on the base 10 and extenda slight distance above the top fiat surface 11, as shown. The lines 13and 14 may be pro vided by printing process, and they may be of an inkmaterial which of course will not be absorbed by the base 10 since thematerial used to form the lines 13 and 14 is of a viscosity whichprevents its absorption into the base 10. Thus the lines 13 and 14 canbe applied to the base 10 to be applied in a liquid form but yet end upin a raised position with respect to the top. surface 11, as shown.

Where the line 13 and 14 are applied by a printing process, they may beengraved or it may be raised printing or of course it may also be a silkscreening process. As shown, the lines 13 .are heavier than the lines14, but both lines extend above the level of the top surface 11. Thusthe tumbler 16 would normally be disposed on the lines 13 so that thetumbler would be spaced above the top surface 11 from the tumblers lowerbase or surface 17. FIG. 1 shows the tumbler 16 in dot-dash lines, andit also shows a ring 18 which is concentric with the radical lines 13and 14 to serve ,as a decorative design and a guide for placing thetumbler 16 directly on the lines 13 and 14.

part thereof broken away and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the formation ofcondensate droplets, designated 19 and 21 in FIG. 3 and 22 in FIG. 4.

Of course the droplet 19 would drain down tothe position of the droplet21, in FIG. 3, and the droplet would flow further downwardly around theline 13 and would hang from the tumbler to a point where it would touchthe top surface 11 and thereby be sucked or attracted by the base to beabsorbed thereby, as indicated in FIG. 3. Of course once the condensateis absorbed in the base 10 it cannot touch the bottom of the tumbler andthus will not be able to drip onto the drinker, and also the tumblerwill not pick up the coaster. FIG. 4 shows this with the droplet 22,that is, the droplet will cling to the tumbler 16 and hang therefrom(all in a usual manner of condensate formation and drainage) and thedroplet will contact the absorbent material 10 to be attracted theretoand thus absorbed by the material or base 10.

Thus it is significant that the lines 13 are spaced and extend above thetop surface 11 in their maximum spacing or top 23 to an amount less thanthe amount which the condensate droplet 22 hangs below the tumbler 16.That is, the droplet 22 will hang from the tumbler 16 but will alsotouch the base 10, and the lines 13 permit this. It has then been foundthat the height of the lines 13 above the top surface 11 is preferablyfrom 50 to 250 microns in order to perform the desired function. Theheight of the lines 14 above the surface 11 can be at the lower end ofthe range just mentioned, and these lines are available for supportingthe tumbler and reinforcing the lines 13 in the event the latter becomeshorter or pressed into the material 10. However, it has been found thatthe lines 13 .alone would be sufficient.

The lines 13 and 14, if the latter are to be applied, may be applied bythe printing processes mentioned and others that are known, or they mayalso be lines of plastic or any other material which is non-absorbentand suitable for the characteristic and purpose mentioned.

The method of making the coaster is therefore one where the blottermaterial 10 has the lines 13 applied thereto, by printing or otherprocesses depending upon the desired process and the material used inthe lines 13, and the sheet 12 may also be then applied to a large sheetforming the base 10. This large sheet may then be cut into the smallersheets for individual coasters as shown in these drawings. In thismanner, a method of providing a coaster which is eflicient in absorbingthe moisture and which will preclude the coaster from sticking to thetumbler when the tumbler is raised, is provided herein.

It is also to be noted that the thickness of the base 10 is severaltimes the height of the lines 13 above the top surface 11. FIG. 4 showsthat the relationship is approximately stock, that is, it is a rigidmaterial Whichis stifi and supports its own weight.

While a specific embodiment of this invention has been shown anddescribed, it should :be obvious that certain changes could be madetherein and the invention should therefore be determined only by thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A coaster for absorbing the droplets of condensate draining from atumbler, comprising a base of an absorbent material having an affinityfor water and being capable of rapidly absorbing water into the body ofsaid material when the water comes into contact with the surface of saidmaterial, said base having a flat top surface, and a plurality ofspaced-apart'lines of a non-absorbent material printed into said baseand permanently attached thereto and superimposed on said flat topsurface of said base and extending a slight distance thereabove forsupporting the tumbler in a position spaced above said five to one.Also, the base 10 is of a card base and being disposed on said base inan arrangementto have the condensate droplets come into contact withsaid top surface while those droplets are still clinging to the tumblerso that those droplets are sucked from the tumbler and into said base bythe affinity of said absorbent material.

2. A coaster for absorbing the droplets of condensate draining from atumbler, comprising a base of an absorbent material having an affinityfor water and being capable of rapidly absorbing water into the body ofsaid material when the water comes into contact with the surface of saidmaterial, said base having a flat top surface, a plurality ofspaced-apart lines of a non-absorbent material attached onto said fiattop surface of said base and with each of said lines extending a slightdistance above said top surface for supporting the tumbler in a positionspaced above said base and being disposed on said base in an arrangementto have the condensate droplets come into contact with said top surfacewhile those droplets are still clinging to the tumbler so that thosedroplets are sucked from the tumbler and into said base by virtue of theafiinity of said absorbent material, and a water-proof material attachedto said base and on the side thereof opposite said non-absorbentmaterial for supporting said base on a table top or the like.

3. A coaster for a tumbler, comprising a base of a water-absorbentblotter material capable of absorbing water at a rate of one, cc. in oneminute, and spaced-apart lines of non-absorbent material printed intosaid base to be superimposed on said .base and extend to a height aslight distance thereabove to have condensate attracted off the tumblerand sucked into said base by the ab sorbency of said absorbent materialand to support said tumbler spaced above said base, the height of saidnonabsorbent material above said base being less than the overhang ofcondensate droplets below the tumbler so that those droplets contactsaid base to be blotted into said base.

4. A method of making a coaster for sucking droplets of condensatedraining off a tumbler, comprising the steps of forming a sheet ofblotter material with a fiat surface, printing on said flat surface withspaced-apart lines of non-absorbing ink having a viscosity which permitsthe ink to lay on top of said sheet rather than be absorbed by saidsheet and arranging the ink lines to be slightly raised on said flatsurface a slight distance which is less than the distance the dropletshang down from the tumbler, and cutting saidsheet into parts whichindividually form a coaster.

5-. A method of making a coaster for sucking. droplets of condensatedraining off a tumbler, comprising the steps of forming a sheet ofblotter material with a fiat surface and capable of absorbing water at arate of one cc. in one minute, printing on said flat surface withspacedapart lines of non-absorbing ink having a viscosity which permitsthe ink to lay on top of said sheet rather than be absorbed by saidsheet and arranging the ink lines to be slightly raised on said flatsurface a slight distance which is to 250 microns, adhering awater-proof sheet to the first-mentioned sheet on the face opposite saidprinting, and cutting said sheets into parts which individually form acoaster.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,607,822 11/1926 Granger 10l-l702,652,703 9/1953 Keegan 248-346.l

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner,

1. A COASTER FOR ABSORBING THE DROPLETS OF CONDENSATE DRAINING FROM ATUMBLER, COMPRISING A BASE OF AN ABSORBENT MATERIAL HAVING AN AFFINITYFOR WATER AND BEING CAPABLE OF RAPIDLY ABSORBING WATER INTO THE BODY OFSAID MATERIAL WHEN THE WATER COMES INTO CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE OF SAIDMATERIAL, SAID BASE HAVING A FLAT TOP SURFACE, AND A PLURALITY OFSPACED-APART LINES OF A NON-ABSORBENT MATERIAL PRINTED INTO SAID BASEAND PERMANENTLY ATTACHED THERETO AND SUPERIMPOSED ON SAID FLAT TOPSURFACE OF SAID BASE AND EXTENDING A SLIGHT DISTANCE TEHREABOVE FORSUPPORTING THE TUMBLER IN A POSITION SPACED ABOVE SAID BASE AND BEINGDISPOSED ON SAID BASE IN AN ARRANGEMENT TO HAVE THE CONDENSATE DROPLETSCOME INTO CONTACT WITH SAID TOP SURFACE WHILE THOSE DROPLETS ARE STILLCLINGING TO THE TUMBLER SO THAT THOSE DROPLETS ARE SUCKED FROM THETUMBLER AND INTO SAID BASE BY THE AFFINITY OF SAID ABSORBENT MATERIAL.